Portable fence



G. E. HOHAUS.

PORTABLE FENCE.

APPLICATION man MAY no` |919.

Patented Sept. 23, 1919.

GEORGE E. HOHAUS, OF FORMAN, NORTH DAKOTA.

PORTABLE FENCE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 23, 1919.

Application iled May 19, 1919. Serial No. 298,121.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. Hol-mns, a citizen of the United States, residing at Forman, in the county of Sargent and State of North Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Portable Fences, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to an improved w1re fence, and an object of the invention 1s to provide a device of this kind which is easily portable from one place to another, so that should it be desired for any reason whatsoever to adjust a fence either longitudinally or laterally, either inwardly of the field or outwardly thereof, in order to restrict .or enlarge the area of the field, it can be easily accomplished by extracting the anchoring means of the fence posts, without detaching the posts from the wire.

The invention further aims to provide a portable fence including a felice post constructed of any suitable material, preferably sheet metal channel members provided with vertically movable anchoring dowcls, adapted to be driven into the ground in order to anchor the posts in place.

The invention further aims to provide means for stretching and tightening the fence wire, which may consist of single wires running in parallelism, or may consist of a meshwork of wire.

The invention further aims to afford means for extracting the anchoring tools, when 1t is desired to move the fence.

A further object of the invention 1s to provide means for planting or holding the fence wires or the wire mesh to the post, so

that the wire can be stretched,vprior to permanently fixing the wire clamping means in lace.

Vhile the design and construction at present illustrated and set forth is deemed preferable, it is obvious that as a result of a reduction of the invention to a more practical form for commercial purposes, the invention may be susceptible to changes, andthe right to these changes is claimed, provided they are comprehendcd within the scope of what is claimed.

The invention comprises further features and combination of parts, as will be hereinafter set forth, shown in the drawings and claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a view in perspective of a por` tion of a fence, constructed in accordance with the invention, and showing the fence posts and their anchoring means.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the fence posts, showing the face opposite the face that is shown in Fig. l, and illustrating the dowel extracting means as applied.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view through Fig. 2 on line 3 3.

Fig. 4 is a cross-scctional view on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, l designates a plurality of fence posts, which, in the present instance, but not necessarily, are constructed of sheet metal in the form of channel iron. These channel fence posts receive anchoring dowcls 2, which may be constructed of any suitable material, preferably wood, but not necessarily, for it is obvious that other material may be used if desired. One of the flanges of the channel posts are provided with straps 3, which overlie the anchoring dowcls and also overlap extensions lugs #L of the opposite flanges of the fence posts, and by means of these straps, the anchoring dowcls are retained slidably in the channel posts. The lower ends of the anchoring dowcls are tapered, so that they can be driven into the ground for anchoring the fence posts pcrpendicularly in position. The dowcls are provided with laterally extending pins 5, which are positioned between the overlying straps of the posts, so as to have limited play between the straps, to limit the dowcls in their movements in one direction or the other, upwardly or downwardly. In order to anchor the posts to the ground, suecessive hammer blows are imparted to the upper ends of the dowcls, in order to drive their lower tapered ends into the ground. A dowel extracting device 7 is provided, which comprises a bar 8, which functions as a lever when used. This bar is provided with an elongated slot 9, and pivotally mounted in the slot on a pin 10 is a rod 1l, the extremity of which is provided with a hook 19., To extract an anchoring dowel, the hook (which is sharpened) is driven into the side of the wood dowel, while the enlarged short end portion of the bar is fulcrumed on the upper end of the felice post. Upward pressure may then be applied to the longer arm of the bar, causing a pulling action to be imparted on the rod, and since the hook is detacliably connected to the anchoring dowel, it will be extracted from the ground. In this way a fence may be easily detached from the ground, so that it can be moved and re-aiicliored in any other suitable posin tion as the case may be.

Vrodmay be :adjustedupwar'dly and downwardly or toward each other axially, in or-` The fence wire, which may consist oflongitudinal lengths, or of a meshwork of wire, preferably the latter, as indicated at 13, is clamped to the outer face of the fence post by means of'elongated plates 11i, throughv which screw bolts 15 extend and threadedinto the metallic post; lhen iirst'fastening the fence wirel to-the post, it is the aim not to Aturn the screw bolts entirely home, thereby allowing the fastening plates to remain Slightly loose, to permit of suiiicient play of fence wire, when adjusting and tightening the same.

At intervals of the fence, suitable stretching Vand tightening means are provided.

Each means consists of pairs of parallel clanipingbar's 16, between which the end portions of the vfence wires or wire mesh are l`clamped, there being bolts 17 carried by the bars 16, for drawing them closely together. Toggle links 18 and 19 are pivoted at 2O to the bars 16, and `the adjacent ends of the upper andflower pairs of toggle links aie'pivotally connected, by the pivot pins 21 and 22. A screw vrod 23 has its forks 24 Vpivotally mounted upon the pin 21. A tuv biilar rod has forks :26 at'its lower end, which -are pivotally connected to the pin The screw rod enters the tubular rod 25, non-threaded therein, there being a nut 27 on the threaded rod and engaging the upper end of the tubular rod,- so that by adjust-r ing the nut, thel threaded rod and tubular der t0 tighten 'or slacken the fence wire.

After the fence vwires'have been properly stretched and tightened, the securing 'bolts' of the clamping plates maybe screwed home, in'orde'r to clamp the clamping plates 1 tight against the wires to hold them in positwenty to thirty rods in length. lmore, the fence wire may :be in the formv of tion.

On`observing the drawings, toggle links or connectors are arranged between the sections of the fence, that lis connecting bars or plates 16. The sections of the fence may be any suitable length, approximately ar fabric or meshwork at spaced intervals super-imposed, provided with vertical wires "orstays connecting the longitudinal wires, l 60 or any other suitable fence may be employed. .Vhen erecting a fence, the end posts are iirst planted in the ground and the fence sections are disposed in alinement, sub- ."sequen'tly the toggle links may be operated yto tighten the felice wire, and then the dowp'ortions of the dowels are omitted.

Furtlierels are driven or sunk into the ground. It will be noted that the upper ends of the ydowels are beveled, and partially offset as at a, in order to render it easier to apply hammer blows by means of a inawl, hammer or other suitable tool, so as to drive or sink the dowels into the ground, without splitting. If desired, the contour assumed kby the fence, may be marked on, by stringing wires or a cord or the like, in any suitable manner, and then the end or corner post may :be driven or sunkinto the ground, and

'after which, the sections of the fence may be [arranged 1n position,'according to the contour to be assumed by the fence. As each section is arranged, the dowels of each section maybe 'driven into the ground'partly,

to' temporarily hold the' dowel carrying posts in place, and then after the required number' of sections ofl fence are erected, the fence wi'remay be tightened, by connecting Vup "the toggle links and operating them toY "stretch the fence wire, and then afterward Athe 'dowels may be' driven entirely home.

In Fig. l, the bevel and offset lateral It will be also noted in Fig. 1 that the fence sections are broken at intervals, and showing 'that the sections maybeof various lengths 'according to the requirements.

The invention having been set forth, what is claimed vas new and useful is: Y

1. The combinationwith a fence post liaving a channel, of anchoring dowels movable vertically in the channel of the post, means carried Iby the post and overlying the 'anchoring dowel to retain it in position in cally movable therein, said fence postl having straps iat" spaced intervals overlying the anchoring vdowelfsaid dowel -having a lateral pin positioned Von the dowel to have limitedplay between `vthestraps, to limit the anchoring'dw'el in its movement downward or its movement upward.

'3. A' fence post, constructed of sheet metal bent longitudinally toY provide a longitudinal channel, a dowel mounted in the channel Vto, have'vertical movements downwardly or upwardly,one side of the fence post having straps, one spaced in superimposed relation 'to the other, and overlying the anchoring dowel, said anchoring dowel having a lateral pin locked thereon to have limited lplayV between the straps to limit the dowel in its movement downward or its movement upward.

4. The combination with the adjacent ends of a wire fence, of pairs of clamping bars clamped to said adjacent ends, upper and lower toggle links pivoted to the |loars, the adj aeent ends of the respective upper and lower toggle links being pivotally united, and means pivotally connecting between the pivoted ends of the upper and lower toggle links for spreading them from or contracting them toward each other, for stretching or slaekening the fence.

5. The combination with the adjacent ends of a wire fence, of pairs of clamping bars fixed to the adjacent ends, )airs of upper toggle links pivoted to the bars and in turn pivotally united, lower toggle links pivoted to the lower ends of the bars and in turn pivotally united, a threaded rod having forks pivotally connected to the pivoted ends of the upper toggle links, a tubular rod pivotally connected to the pivoted ends of the lower toggle links, and loosely receiving the threaded end of the rod, and means threaded on the rod and eoperating with the upper end of the tubular rod, for adjusting the tubular and threaded rods telescopically relatively to each other, for Spreading the upper and lower toggle links from and toward each other, for stretching or slackening the fence.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my Witnesses R. L. HIMEBAUGH, J. P. GUNnnnsoN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner o! Patents, Washington, D. C. 

